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 Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:42 pm
Oh why had he not taken some painkillers this morning? Gaius wondered. His legs were in utter agony as he lifted, muscles working to push on both knee and ankle alike, all the weight on that small area that was now the bottom of his foot. His back burned too as the strain pulled at the healing tissue.
A familiar voice cut through Gaius's thoughts and he paused in his lifting to look around and spotted Ambrose. Ears instantly perked up as he recognized the shaggy gray wolf. Seemed he was no worse for his time on the island, or at least didn't have anything visible to show for it, unlike Gaius. But that wasn't the horse-man's thoughts as the wolf drew near.
"Well, you're just in time! Help us get this beam up in place!" He flicked a wing in the direction of the stage, where the supports and Sophie were waiting to secure it the beam the four guys were working on lifting. "We've gotta get it standing upright!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:47 pm
Through the open window of his duplex, Victor could hear something going on, but after the incident with Nicky before, and his own changes he'd undergone, the lizardman was reluctant to get out of his duplex to go see what it could be. But he was curious.
It was a bit of a break from his own personal suffering and the mundane happenings that seemed to take over his daily life. eat, sleep, sunbathe, talk to people on the rare occation he saw them and it was someone who wouldn't scream or try to hurt him on account of his appearance...
Against his better judgement, Victor went out the front door to his duplex, and crawled his way towards what he heard. The lizardman was nearly there before he realized where the noise was coming from. The Theater, Gaius' project. Victor started to have second doubts about going and finding out what was happening, but...he figured he could always keep to the back, keep hidden, he could always just watch.
Victor crawled to the edge of the consruction yard, though the jungle, and poked his large head out, turning an eye towards the threater.... there were several people he recognised, many he didn't, some of them helping to push up a large beam. the Lizardman vaguely recognised Gaius, who looked like he had changed since he had seen him last, then the penguin boy.... then Nicky, the creep that had threatened him in the workout room.
The lizardman would watch for now...he wasn't quite ready to get spotted by so many all at once.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:48 pm
Ambrose's mouth fell open into a panting lupine smile at Gaius's greeting. "Glad I could make it! It looks like you fellows have made quite the progress on the theater - I'm sorry I didn't lend a hand earlier! But it looks like you're building yourself quite the set up - and I think will be a great addition to the village and the things to do people have!"
Ambrose gave Marshall a grin and a wave, and couldn't help but give Aislinn a lingering look - despite all he had seen on the island, what appeared to be someone on their way to becoming a centaur was not one of them. But out of practiced politeness he didn't say anything. He caught a sense of anxiety from Marshall, and a brief whisper of fear from a newcomer who smelled distinctly of an overuse of hair gel. But, thankably, he obviously must have known the truth of the island, and no one seemed to mistake him for a rampaging Annie this time. He wavesd a small greeting to the unfamiliar individuals.
At Gaius's directions, he nodded and gave a salute, and then trotted over to where the small canine woman was directing the other guys. Rubbing his padded palms together he took a place to help with the lifting.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:51 pm
Having never met Ambrose, Dasher stood and went to investigate the unfamiliar wolfman. Reuben joined him in greeting Ambrose, but already knew who he was and wagged his tail happily.
Lucas' ears remained drooped. Not that it was good to see Ambrose, but the last encounter left things rather awkward between them. For the moment, Lucas just focused on lifting the beam. He probably should have said hello to him, but decided to continue to let himself go unnoticed. Adjusting the makeshift bandage around his eye, he then went back to getting a better grip on the beam and held it up.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:57 pm
Aislinn smiled as Ambrose waved to her, but now that she was settled she wasn't about to go to all the trouble of getting back up again. Her center of balance was just too far off to make that easy.
She looked about at all the others helping out. It was nice to see the sense of community, even if she didn't know any of the people there. Really, she needed to get out more. Perhaps this theatre would be a good excuse for that.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:01 pm
Vixen was likewise eager to investigate, though she was smarter than to run around the mens' feet while they were working, so she hung back a bit.
Gaius's pride lifted a bit. Ambrose'd been looking for him! He would've lifted his head a bit if his neck didn't ache so.
"Alright guys, push up this end get that other end by the stage!" he called, straining to raise his end higher with Lucas's help. He didn't take notice of any social tensions, nor the twisted lizardman lurking in the jungle, mind too absorbed with the task of the moment.
Gaius waited for the people at the other end to maneuver the bottom of the beam into place and give some kind of signal that it was ready before continuing.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:20 pm
Ambrose looked a bit surprised as a few canines came up to investigate. He always felt strange when it came to interacting with normal canines. Instincts seemed to leap to the forefront and instruct him on what was normal greeting behavior that was usually more easily supressed in the face of even canine islanders with whom a normal, human greeting was perfectly appropriate. His tail lifted, and his form stiffened, establishing his dominance, and even though he resisted the urge to stoop, his nose began snuffling to pick up their scents.
A moment later, it was shaken and he reached down to patt them on their heads, almost trying to cover the flaring instincts from a moment earlier.
He gave Lucas a lingering look, and ear flicking back. He preferred not to bring up their last conversation either, though Lucas's perceived slights still hung with him.
Ambrose just nodded and hefted the beam, trying to assist the others in getting it to the proper position.
"SO...." He began, trying to make some conversation, "What do you all want to do with the theater when it gets constructed? I spoke with Emerwyn some a few months back about her playwrighting... and helping with stage combat!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:45 pm
The horse-man huffed with the effort, but managed a half-smile and shrug. "Honestly? Dunno! I'm just the one they got to put the thing together. Not sure what Billy has in mind with this thing..."
"Stage combat, huh?" Gaius glanced at Ambrose out of the corner of his eye. "You know, I never took you up on the chance to learn a little sword-play!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:59 pm
Looking back around when Ambrose started conversation, Lucas noticed that Dasher and Reuben were both getting underfoot. Making an odd whistling noise, he called to both. "Dasher. Reuben. Back, now. That's a good way to cause an accident." Being unable to make hand signals since they were currently occupied with something else, he wasn't sure if either dog would pay attention. Luckily, Dasher seemed to interpret his tone after the whistle got his attention and backed off.
Sighing, he waited for Sophie to finish with the hammering. So far he was regretting promising to come. This wasn't as distracting as he'd been hoping for.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:02 pm
While the three men talked, Marshall found himself clutching onto the beam for dear life. Don't let it fall don't let it fall don't let it fall don't let it fall on me DON'T LET IT FALL ON ME!
"CAHN WEH HARY TES AHP!?" Marshall squaked, his speech problems coming back. And his usually bubbly personality going away.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:13 pm
"Er, right, sorry!" Gaius called, realizing he'd lagged in the work. It took some muscle work, but the group managed to get the beam standing upright.
For a moment, it leaned sliiiightly forward... but then settled back as they held it in place.
Gaius waited for Sophie to get the diagonally cut support beams in place and hammer them in. In the meantime, the men were all packed around, holding the fifteen foot length of wood vertical.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:24 pm
"Hahry eht ahp..." Marshall said in a clenched beak, trying his best to hold the pole upwards. It was hard for three reasons: One, he kept on having flash-backs to when Oz broke his arm. Two, he was really hot and penguins don't generally enjoy 'hot'. And finally, three: Marshall really had no muscles to begin with, let alone now.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:47 pm
Nicky during this entire time just kept quiet and took in the conversations around him. The heady aroma of the various almost making him nauseous...but he kept that placid look on his face, if only not to draw attention to himself. That was kind of hard though, since he was the only person there without fur. "C'mon man, we got this," he said to Marshall, if only to get his mind off of the lifting. He even tried to help the penguin out by redoubling his efforts on the work at hand. Once it was straight though, he took a moment to look around at the other islanders...glad he's not getting any strange glances yet.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:23 pm
Ambrose whuffed in the effort of heaving the heavy beam, but the exertion - and helping out - felt good. And besides, he felt stronger since his changes had finished... his form thicker and built much better for this than it would have been when he first arrived.
"That's a pity!" Ambrose grunted as he worked. "I could see you doing well with that." his eyes strayed towards Gaius's hoof-hands. Maybe not anymore, but Ambrose wouldn't breath a word of that. He should consider himself luck he still had the capacity, even if his build wasn't nearly as lithe.
Ambrose murmured at Marshall as he lifted. "Hurrying heavy lifting is probably a bad idea."
Ambrose held fast to the beam as it was strapped into place, planting his feet and holding his breath as the long beam balanced precariously on end.
Indeed, Ambrose's focus was on the beam and it not falling over and squashing any of them than the still normal man beside him supporting the beam.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:38 pm
Nicky almost couldn't take it anymore...the smell...the feeling of fur touching him...it was all almost too much for him. Quietly, he shut his eyes as he helped hold up the beam and started breathing deeply through his mouth...Is this what was in store for ********..." he muttered out, eyes still closed.
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